St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-22

fered, to become unprOductive. and to a
considerable extent depOpulated, creates
great interest in this locality. 1t is
known that the policy of the cOmpany's
land department has had serious and
disastrous effect upon the settlement of
North Dakota. All the emigrants have
been carried through TO the coast, while
no efforts have been made to secure set
tiers for the rich lands in Dakota. The
result of this past management finds the
country to-day with less population by
thousands than four years ago. In
Stutsman county alone, it is said, there
are 1000 less people than formerly. In
Barnes, Kidder, Burleigh and other
counties within the land grant, the same
rate of decrease is shown. West of the
Missouri little better results are wit
messed. The indirect cause of this
seems to be due to the .hOggish policy of
the company, and particularly to the
''land ring" of the same. Four years
ago the country now tributary to the
Milwaukee, Northwestern and Manitoba
roads, fifty miles in each direction
from the Northern Pacific, had
only few settlers. The policy of these
railroads was to encourage emigration,
and as result there is at present set
tier on nearly every quarter section and
stacks of wheat are visible in every di-
rectiOn.
THIS is IN PAINFUL CONTRAST
to the condition of affairs along the
Northern Pacific. There the land is
equally as rich, but held at higher
price and for the benefit of the favored
few. OF course the disastrous policy
above noted is not the only cause of the
unOccupied lands. The unfortunate
droughts of the past two years have
been, for some ineXplicable reason.
Severest along the line of
the Northern Pacific, and this, of
course, adds to the discomfort often eX-
pressed by the farmers here. Since the
Wizard announcement of the land ring
every day is bringing to light past
events which seem to corroborate the
correctness of the charge. An instance
in line with this is recollected by a
party participating in the same, who
now lives i'll Jamestown. Shortly after
Land Commissioner Lamborn obtained
control prominent Pennsylvania capi-
taliSt had interested Eastern capitalists
in scheme that would have proven of
immense benefit to the railroad COM
pany and to the managers of
the enterprise themselves. This gen.
tleman, accompanied by a German of
influence in the old country, went to St.
Paul and attempted to lay his PROPOSE
ton before Mr.. Lamborn. The COM
missioner so brusqueIy received them,
ana In such an insulting manner de-
clined to do any business with ''specu-
latOrS" (aS he termed them), that the
Pennsylvania capitalist Indignantly
told him ''to go to HI" adding that he
could live without any dealings with
the Northern Pacific Railway company.
MIR. Lamborn Immediately saw his mis-
take and endeayOred to call the gentle
man back, without avail. The proposition
Which Mr.. LambOrn refused to listen to
was the sale of land by the railroad
company, in the amount of S400, ,OOO, the
purchasers to guarantee that the gov
ernment land adjoining should be set
tied up by foreign emigrants within
two years. The railroad land was to be
paid for in preferred stock of the COM
pany, and
SOLD TO OTHER EMIGRANTS
at ruling rates. The scheme was per-
fectly legitimate, and one of profit to
both company, capitalist and settler.
The land desired is north of Dawson, in
kldder county, and is to-day as tenant
less as it was then. The result of the
proposition, had it been accepted, would
have been the presence of over 500 ad-
dltlonal families for that location within
two years, and the establishment of
such nucleus that by this time several
thousand additional farmers would
have been sending their grain and re-
celving freight over the Northern Pa
citic railroad. These facts have been re-
ported to Mr.. Willard within a few days,
and are authentic in every respect. 1t
is, however, merely one instance of
how the selfish land policy of the COM
pany has turned out most disastrously
for the interests of its contiguous terri
tory in Dakota.
This unwise policy of the land de-
partment has been continued for long
time, and developed itself in other
phases. In the period when the coun-
try was Just opening up nearly all the
good town sites were sold by the COM
pany at such eXhOrbitant figures, and
the sale of lots controlled by the COM
pany and guarded so exclusively, that
thousands of spectators and capital
lists were forced from the field, and. as
consequence, hundreds of thousands
of dollars which would have been in
vested were lost. In most of the town
sites on the jamestown & Northern, and
many OF them west of Bismarck, the
spectators were frozen out, and some
officers OF the company got all there was
in it. The effect of this Shortsighted
policy is seen in the condition of these
towns and vacant lands to-day. The
investors and spectators have left.
the farmers are discouraged, but the
company is still here.